SUSPENSION OF TITLE III OF LIBERTAD ACT - URUGUAY

C O N F I D E N T I A L MONTEVIDEO 000290 SIPDIS WHA/CCA FOR GABRIELA ZAMBRANO WHA/BSC FOR MDASCHBACH E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/27/2019 TAGS: ETRD ETTC PREL CU UY SUBJECT: SUSPENSION OF TITLE III OF LIBERTAD ACT - URUGUAY REF: STATE 48487 Classified By: CHARGE D'AFFAIRES ROBIN MATTHEWMAN FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) Upon taking office on March 1, 2005, the Vazquez government renewed diplomatic relations with Cuba. The GOU opened an Embassy in Havana on June 30, 2005, and Cuba's ambassador to Uruguay was sworn in on November 7, 2005. ¶2. (C) President Vazquez in June 2008 made his only official visit to the island since taking office in 2005. Accompanied by the ministers of foreign relations, agriculture, development, finance and public health, Vazquez held official talks with Raul and Fidel Castro and signed 14 cooperation agreements in the areas of expanding medical, scientific research and social development initiatives. During the visit, Vazquez extended an invitation for Cuban President Raul Castro to visit Uruguay in 2009. ¶3. (C) Overall, the GOU's involvement with Cuba is limited to a few areas of medical and scientific cooperation. In 2005, the GOU accepted Cuba's offer to conduct ophthalmological interventions free of charge for Uruguayan cataract patients, under a program called "Operacion Milagro" ("Operation Miracle"). The program has now been terminated. The Cuban government also offers scholarships for Uruguayan medical students, with about 40 Uruguayan medical students graduating in Cuba every year. Post is not aware of any Uruguayan investments in Cuba or Cuban investments in Uruguay, nor of any bilateral trade agreements between Uruguay and Cuba. A Cuban literacy program called "I can" was launched in March 2007, targeting literacy problems with adults. Matthewman